This invention relates to a method of determining the accuracy of the real time clocks which are provided within each element of a distributed telecommunications network.
Managed Network Elements (NEs), for example a shelf of electronic switches each contain a Real Time Clock (RTC) which is used for time stamping event reports sourced from the respective element. Such reports may, for example, be the start or finish times of a traffic connection. It is clearly important that all the RTCs are synchronised to as great an accuracy as can be obtained. The known method of setting the RTC within each element relies on sending a "time set" message from the Network Management Centre (NMC) to the element. These messages suffer varying delays during transmission around the network and in practice have been found to provide a setting accuracy of only between 3 and 5 seconds, depending on the network size and loading of the network. The known setting method is "open looped"--the NMC has no way of knowing to what accuracy a respective RTC has been set after the time set command has been sent.